Do for Another
by AnimeGirl9894
Summary: Part of being a ninja was the willingness to die for one another. As Mikey looked down at his barely conscious brother, he steeled himself against the decision before him. This was what it meant to be a brother. Rated T for dark themes.
1. Mask

**It's been a while since my last story and while I have had some ideas here and there nothing quite concrete enough to put into words until now. There is mention of violence and blood in the story. This story takes place in the 2012 incarnation.**

 **I do not own TMNT**

 **Do for Another**

Soft, yet urgent calling of his name roused Raphael back into reality and he struggled to blink open his eyes against the heavy blanket of unconsciousness. His mind readily reminded him of the pain radiating through his side and the sluggishness in his limbs, making him long for the previous nothingness. The voice became increasingly more insistent and he groaned at the familiar skater boi accent. A rough hand gripped his shoulder and he pushed the blackness from his vision enough to register two worried blue eyes staring into his own. "…Mike?" The name was sloppy and lightly slurred but it seemed to be enough to erase some of the concern darkening the freckled turtle's gaze.

"Good, you're not completely zonked out." Mikey chuckled with a shaky smile. Raph blinked at him tiredly, but felt himself becoming more aware of his situation. The dim light casting the brick walls in an artificial glow and the smell of wet garbage letting him know that he was in some back alley.

"What are ya doin' here?" He had left the lair alone after making sure everyone was either busy or sleeping. How had Mikey found him so quickly? Or had he been here longer than he thought? He rolled his eyes slowly to the inky black sky and groggily concluded that it couldn't have been that long. Now he was so tired, his body sinking further to itself and his mind leading him down the last events of his night. The emerald turtle barely remembered closing his eyes after shambling into the empty alley, hurriedly trying to stifle his breathing while ignoring the blood slipping between his fingers. His eyes snapped open once more and found his brother nowhere in sight. "Mikey?"

"Right here, bro." Mikey popped back into his limited line of sight, clutching an off-white towel. "Crazy that some people still use clotheslines, right? Lucky for us, though." Raph's head lolled back and he sucked in a sharp breath when Mikey pried his hand away from his side. He tried to keep himself in check, hearing the fear in the younger turtle's babblings even through his haze. "No falling asleep, alright? I called Leo and Donnie; we're pretty far out, so it could take them a while to get here."

"What are ya even _doin'_ out here?" Raph hissed as the towel was gently pushed against the stab in his side. He managed to catch the younger turtle's eye and his own widened at the spark of anger in their blue depths.

"You think you're _that_ sneaky?" Mikey snapped, his worry bleeding into anger at his brother's actions. "Yeah, nope. You're lucky I found you in time or…" Michelangelo trailed off with a tight frown.

"Shell…" Raph cursed in a drawn-out groan as he realized how royally he had screwed up. Pain shot through his side and spread a spider web of agony through his chest as Mikey shifted the towel. "The hell Mikey…?!" His brother was looking at the crimson seeping into the fabric with almost panicked concern. The conflicting emotions flashing through the orange-banded turtle's eyes made guilt settle in Raph's stomach. The light green turtle regressed into humor as a solid wall against his open-book expression and gave a dry chuckle. Raph recognized the defense. A practiced cover for when his little brother felt overwhelmed.

"Honestly Raphie-boy, cursing, ambushed _and_ an entire gang royally peeved off at you? That's gotta be a new record." Mikey's forced joke made Raphael cringe and he looked everywhere but the light green turtle. "Then there's the stab wound and judging by how totally out of it you are, a blow to the head…definitely a new record…" The smaller turtle's voice shook and wobbled as the gravity of the situation laid more heavily on his shoulders. Raph hated seeing his baby brother so panicked but his mind was working too slowly to allow him to contribute to a viable solution.

"I thought I could take 'em." A sigh and some angry mumbling were his only response. Loud yelling and swearing echoed against the cold walls of the alley and Michelangelo's head shot up in alarm. Apparently bashing him in the head and a gory stab to the side wasn't enough, as the gang was still on the hunt for the barely conscious turtle. "Get outta here, Mikey." Scared, blue eyes stared at him before something seemed to snap the younger turtle to attention. A resolute frown and a stiffening of shoulders that reminded Raph oddly of their leader in blue. Raph was taken aback with the drastic change in demeanor and let his mind toy with the idea that maybe he'd passed out again.

"Your first good idea all night." The shakiness was gone from his brother's hands as he pulled Raph's hand to the towel and held it there with a quiet murmur to keep pressure on it. With a strangely serious expression, Mikey untied his mask and took his nunchucks out of his belt. He glanced down the alley before pulling off Raph's mask and tugging his sais from his waist. "Despite how much prettier I am than you, I bet those thugs won't be able to tell the difference."

"Wait, what are ya doin'?" Raph tried to sit up more as Mikey shoved his T-phone into his hand. The resolution and coldness had transformed the freckled turtle's face and sent panic through Raph's blurry mind. His moth opened and closed as Mikey quickly tied the ripped red fabric around his head.

"Leo and Donnie are on their way." Mikey stood and steeled himself into someone tense and angry, something that suited the tattered red mask and sais placed at his sides. Raph could do nothing as the pain and blood loss forced him into silent shock. "Alright, I got this." With those words of encouragement, Mikey shot out of the alley and yelled in a gruff imitation of the older turtle's voice. Shouts and footsteps rushed passed the alley and away from where Raphael sat, Mikey's phone casting a dull light on his terrified expression. He forced himself out of his frozen state and pushed himself against the wall until he was standing on trembling legs. Pain shot through his side but he held himself up against his nearly-buckling knees. His heartbeat was drumming against his skull and he ducked his head in an attempt to stem the blackness leaking into his vision.

"Dammit, Mikey!" He slammed his fist against the wall and his legs gave out against his will. He had tried to take on one of the most infamous gangs in the city and now his baby brother was cleaning up his mess in some stupid act of heroism. What if they caught him? There was no way the meager lessons on each other's weapons would be enough to help Mikey against that gang. He's expect this kind of plan from Leo but he'd never wanted to see that resolution on his little brother face, the resolution to do whatever it takes to keep another safe. The grim expression of one who knew they were ready to die.

"There he is!"

"Raph! What happened? Where's Mikey?!" Leo and Don's voices cut into his blurry consciousness and he realized at some point he's blacked out since Mikey had left. Panic immediately settled in his stomach and he bolted up, Don was suddenly at his side, a practiced eye examining his condition. Donnie pulled the towel away from Raph's side, wincing at the way it stuck to the drying blood of the wound. He'd brought the medical bag but this was beyond what his emergency kit could fix. A wound to the sensitive flesh between their shell needed delicate stitching and observation.

"Ya gotta go after Mike!" Raph hissed as Don lifted his arm over his shoulders to slowly pull the injured turtle to his feet. "How long did it take ya to get here? Did ya see him on your way here?" Raph's eyes darted around the alley and looked at each of his brothers in an uncharacteristic terror. Leo was holding Mikey's mask and nunchucks with a mortified expression while Don stressed the need to get Raph to the lair as soon as possible.

"Mikey sent us an SOS text about 20 minutes ago," Leo trailed off and shoved the weapons in his belt. His mind was racing with images of his baby brother struggling to fight off whatever foe Raph had faced up against. The thought of another brother somewhere in the city hurt with no means of communication filled his mind and anxiety tensed his muscles. He had to go after Mikey while Don took Raph back to the lair. "Which way did he go? How long ago did he leave? How could you let him go off into the city like that?!"

"He just ran off! Ya think I don't already know it's my fault?!" Raph growled back, his words rough with guilt and anger. Leo reeled back at the pain in the other's voice and looked from Raph's slumped form to Donnie's wide mahogany eyes.

"Leo, we need to get Raph home _now_." Don pulled Raph's falling form up more and gave the leader a desperate look. Leo ground his teeth and his fist tightened around the worn orange fabric he held. He hated to leave his brother out to fend for himself, but Raph was slumping further in unconsciousness as his situation became more dire. "There's no way to track Mikey without his T-phone and he's the quickest of all of us." Leo forcefully moved his legs forward and moved to take Raph in his arms. The brothers couldn't meet each other's eyes as they each silently prayed for their brother's safety. Leo steeled himself against the guilt weighing him down and sprinted from the alley.

 **Alright, I initially thought this was going to be a one-shot but it went in a completely different direction than I expected. I have never written for the 2012 turtle's but I feel they weren't too OOC. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Cornered

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed the first chapter. I didn't mean to leave it at such a cliffhanger as to whether I would continue it or not. I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter; I had to revise, erase and edit it for a while before it was where I wanted it. WARNING: This chapter contains blood and some more mature themes.**

 **I do not own TMNT**

Street lights whizzed passed him as he pushed forward, he leapt to another roof and his feet scraped the cement as he slid to a stop. The now red wearing turtle paused to catch his breath and appreciate the cold night air, he was rarely ever out this late. Blue eyes glazed up at the dark sky momentarily, before he peered over the roof in search of the gang he'd been leading away. Mikey found it hard to keep from taunting their slow pace, but he wasn't himself at the moment. Despite his best efforts to tire them out, they seemed hellbent on catching him, or Raph as it were. They were just below him, the short building allowing him to hear their angry grumbling and cursing. "Hey morons! What's up?!" The freckled turtle deepened his voice as he smirked down at the men below him. He couldn't help the excitement at pretending to be his older brother, there was a power behind the tattered mask that he usually didn't possess.

"There's the freak!" One of them yelled and Mikey barely hid his cringe at the word. The light green turtle made sure to stay in their line of sight as he bolted away again. _This isn't a game._ He scolded himself. The smirk momentarily slid from his face as he reminded himself why he was out here in the first place. He had to give his brothers enough time to find Raph and that's all that mattered. The pain and concussion had left Raph without his usual gruff façade and Mikey had seen the sheer terror in his eyes as Mikey had prepared his plan. This wasn't something the young ninja usually did. These heroic plans were usually left to Leo. Mikey ignored the exhaustion creeping into his legs. It was _his_ turn to protect his brother now. A familiar clicking sound reached his ears and he glanced back with wide eyes. A moment later a bullet whizzed passed him, almost hitting its mark.

 _Oh no_. Cold fear settled in his stomach. _Get away! Run!_ His hand instinctually reached for his T-phone until he remembered leaving it with Raph. He was alone.

He couldn't rely on his brothers now. Mikey suppressed the fear that rose in his throat at the bang of another gun firing and forced himself to stay in the men's sight. _For Raph._ He had to be brave, but the fear was rushing him forward and away from the furious gang below. The men were falling behind him and Michelangelo reluctantly slowed his pace. "Lousy aim ya got there!" He clenched his fist against the wobble in his voice. Red fabric caught his eye and he shook his head at how much of a coward he was. Raph would never be scared in this situation.

All at once red hot pain zigzagged through his arm and spread like wildfire through his body. The air was painfully pushed from his lungs and black quickly bled into his vision. Mikey stumbled to a halt, his hand swinging up to clutch at his bicep while his legs wobbled dangerously. He hadn't even heard the gun go off! How could he let this happen?! "Nevermind! Your aims pretty on point…!" He gasped as he felt blood slipping through his fingers. They whooped in victory and it was only a matter of time before they found a way on to the roof.

"This can't happen now. I have to keep going!" The turtle bit out the words and moved his hand from his arm to rub the darkness from his vision. Hot liquid smeared across his face mixing with the tears undoubtable falling down his cheeks. Mikey heard the clang of metal as feet climbed the fire escape and he struggled to clear his vision enough to see the gang members file onto the roof. _Get up!_ The command went unanswered as drew back his lips in a snarl at the nearing men. His heart beat wildly in his chest, each beat reminding him of the agony coursing through his arm that hung limply at his side. He was cornered.

A tall man stepped out from the throng of men and even through his panic Mikey was able to somewhat shift into a defensive stance. The lumbering man walked closer until the scent of his cheap cologne mixed with the coppery scent of blood. "Shouldn't have messed with us." Mikey realized his death loomed before him in a moment of terrible clarity. Many scenarios had put him in danger, but his brothers had always given him a confident reassurance that he'd be ok. This disgusting man, who's breath stank of alcohol and teeth shone a crooked yellow, would kill him and his brothers would never have a way to find him.

 _This can't be it…_ The cold metal of a gun met his temple and his body jolted with something desperate and terrified. _NO!_ A feral growl sounded in his ears and his vision quickly tunneled into an expanse of black. The gun was dropped to the ground and Mikey had never heard a silence more deafening. He was floating away from the scene before him. Those wild white eyes weren't his own; his hands weren't splattered with blood that wasn't his own. He would never…

"Holy shit! We gotta get the hell out of here!" Everything spun as Mikey was thrust back into himself, the handle of Raph's sai becoming very real as it was pulled out of his grip followed by a resounding thud. Somewhere he heard the shocked cursing and shouts of the men as they scurried away. The world swirled around him as he took several uneven steps forward towards the prone figure.

 _No_ … Numbness spread through his body as he leaned down and gripped the handle of the sai. _I didn't mean…_ His breath shook as his gaze slowly moved to meet the unseeing brown eyes that seemed to be baring into his own. "I…" Burning tears blurred his vision as he shook his head against what he'd done. The world snapped back into focus and Mikey became very aware of the life seeping out of the man's body. Bile rose in his throat and the turtle rushed away, everything he'd eaten splattering the roof.

He stumbled away and fell to his knees as agonizing guilt coursed through his chest. "Oh no, oh no, oh no." This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He was just supposed to run, to get them away from Raph then go home to everyone being angry and worried. Raph would be ok and pretending he wasn't loopy on painkillers. Donnie would ruthlessly check him for injuries. Leo and Splinter would lecture him night and day. Mikey looked to the man and the cold metal glinting in the low light. None of that could happen now.

"I can't stay here." The words scratched his throat and he realized he lost time here, the sun was peeking over the skyline. Some hidden force pulled him to his feet and he felt himself walking on trembling legs across the roof. In one swift movement, he pulled the sai away from the man, turning away from the red that immediately filled the wound. He didn't think about the scarlet smeared across his belt as he tucked the weapon away and hurried to the edge of the roof where the fire escape was. Mikey hesitated, one foot hovering over the edge of the building before leaping down and ducking into the nearest manhole.

To be continued…

 **This story is nothing like what I had initially planned for it to be. But I feel it is a good direction and I enjoyed writing it. If any of you have read my previous TMNT story you know dark themes usually play a role in my stories. Mikey in the 2012 version is much more innocent and childlike than the 2003 version. I feel that something like this would affect him in greatly and I hope I captured it.**

 **Thank you for reading and leave a review if you'd like.**


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